N. Macedonia says it receives false bomb threats made from Russia, Iran

North Macedonia has been receiving false bomb threats from Iran and Russia, a top official said on Monday.

Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said officials in the Balkan nation were working actively to keep its security systems safe, with false bomb threats affecting 720 facilities so far, according to the ministry.

"This is an intense hybrid attack that has targeted more than 720 facilities since Oct. 19. A few cases have been resolved. We now have an isolated group and the case is being worked on.

"In recent days, emails have been sent from addresses in Iran and Russia, and payments to VPN (virtual private network) services made by cryptocurrencies, which makes tracking difficult," said Spasovski.

Numerous bomb threats have been reported in Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia aince the start of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24 last year.

Investigations, however, revealed all reports of planned attacks to be false alarms.

Shopping malls and other public buildings have also received bomb threats over the past two months.

Education and work have often ground to a halt for days in a row due to the treats.

Serbia has claimed that the foreign intelligence services of Ukraine and an unidentified EU nation were behind the threats.

Russia and Iran have yet to respond to the allegations.